Circulation control, as it pertains to aerodynamics, refers to systems and methods that attempt to utilize the Coanda effect (the tendency of a fluid jet to stay attached to a convex surface) to increase lift. Such systems have been researched for improving performance characteristics of flying vehicles—particularly commercial airplanes—with limited success.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have recently proliferated and are being used for an ever-increasing number of applications. Performance improvements are constantly being sought, such as reducing the required runway distance for takeoff, reducing power consumption, increasing aerodynamic efficiency, and increasing the payload that the UAV can carry, among others. A need exists for new UAV designs that achieve these goals. Further, many existing, commercially-available UAVs could be improved through retrofitting with systems that achieve these goals.